THE AGE LIMIT

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 943, 9 April 1930, Page 8

THE AGE LIMIT

To the Editor, Sir, — A week-end occupied in enthusiastic meditation on a certain cable item which appeared in Saturday’s news has emboldened me to put forward certain parallel cases which for singularity and coincidence even exceed the remarkable figures quoted in the news item previously mentioned. The paragraph to which I have referred runs as follows: “Three brothers, whose ages are 74, 67 and 64 respectively, greeted Mr. George Harry Smith, of Dunedin, who is 7$ years of age, when he landed at Southampton from the Rangitane. When Smith went to New Zealand from Bolton in the sailing ship Oamaru in 1577, he left six brothers and a sister, all of whom are living. Their combined ages now total 566 years.” Now% sir, remarkable as these figures and calculations are (and we are continually seeing equally extraordinary instances of combined longevity quoted in the daily papers), I beg to submit that few people can equal, let alone beat, the amazing combined longevity of my aunt, a Miss Martha Finchley, now of Waikikamookau.

My aunt, who is S2 years of age, was the eldest of 15 sisters and one brother twice removed (poor fellow, he was never really popular owing, I believe, to a regrettable habit he nad of hooting loudly on the most inauspicious occasions) —and their combined ages reached the staggering total of years! This is astounding enough as it stands, but the full significance will not be appreciated until it is realised that had these children been born in such a succession that one was born just as the previous one died, the first one would have been born in 1066. But for the merest accident of birth, my aunt would have seen the day that William the Conqueror invaded England! And here is another case, equally thrilling. A second cousin of my aunt who was distantly related to Lord Egahham of Turnover (whose seat is more than 600 years old and whose family motto, “Sal Volatile Aqua Fortis Est,” goes back to 1365) married a Captain Tweet (one of the Shropshire Tweets. Of the family, it is related that an uncle of the late earl fought under Wellington at Quartre Bras, and when his horse was shot from under him, he declined aid, saying “There is time to finish the game of bowls and beat the Spaniards, too.” He lived to a ripe old age and ran off with the daughter of the village organist.) Of this union there were fourteen children, six boys and eight girls, all of whom lived and, I believe, did very well for themselves. The eldest boy, Cyril, took Orders, but eventually went to America and set up as a bootlegger. Their mother, the Hon. Mrs. Tweet lived to be S 3 and all the girls lasted well, the second girl, Fannie, marrying a Mr. Williams, of London, and

reaching the fine old age of 92. When my aunt came out to New Zealand in 1574, she brought with her an old shawl which had originally been in the Tweet family and wbica was reputed to be over 200 years old Now, sir, when the combined ages of all these people and things are totted up, we get the stupendous total of 169,432 years! If we multiply them all together, and take away the number we firs thought of, we reach a simply colossal figure! And if the whole family were put end to end on an intercolonia boat, they would probably reach fro lll here to Sydney. Oh, easily. How marr of your readers, sir, can giggle that off? Yours, etc., N.B.G-P.S.-—I have submitted these s§ ur ® 3 to a chartered accountant, who sw • lowed once or twice and said tn .* were doubtless very interesting, 80 can vouch for their accuracy.